Fly with Chris and Di

About Fly with Chris and Di

By listening to Fly with Chris and Di, you will learn how to make the most of your vacation and truly feel relaxed, organized, and proud of the time you took away from work.

Publisher

Chris and Dianne McKinley

Category

leisure · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Mar 2019

Latest episode

29 Jun 2020

Latest episodes

44 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Jun 2020

   Disney for the Holidays With Krystin Turner from Dreams Unlimited Travel

   What happens when you take the magic of Disney and the magic of Christmas and combine them? You get Disney for the holidays. Our friend and Disney travel expert Krystin Turner is here today to talk about some of the cool things that are available from Disney during the holiday and Christmas season. She has stayed at all of the resorts and has extensive knowledge about Disneyland, Disney World, and Disney Cruises. We were lucky enough to have Krystin as our guest on season one of the podcast when we talked about creating a unique Disney experience. Going to a Disney park or on a Disney cruise is something our family has talked about for years. Krystin is a Disney travel expert from Dreams Unlimited Travel and she shares the ins and outs of the different venues, special holiday features at the resorts, entertainment, decorations, costumes, and treats. She also talks about snowing on main street during the parade, The Nightmare Before Christmas Haunted Mansion, the best time to go, the best time to book, and more. Show Notes: [01:48] Krystin Turner is a vacation planner from Dreams Unlimited Travel. She helps plan Disney vacations anywhere from cruise lines to Disney World and Disneyland. She can help with every aspect of the trip. [03:31] Christmas time is the best time to go to any Disney destination. Disney starts decorating for the holidays on the 1st of November. [03:57] The Christmas party at the Magic Kingdom is one of Krystin's favorite things to do. It's a limited ticket after hours event. There's a Christmas parade and treats are included. The characters are in costume and it even snows on Main Street. [05:20] All of the resorts are decorated and every park has a giant Christmas tree. There's even a real gingerbread house with edible shingles. [05:54] Krystin has stayed at all of the Walt Disney World Resorts. She stayed at Wilderness Lodge over the holidays, but most resorts have great holiday activities and themes. [07:31] The Christmas party has different treats including cookies, hot chocolate, and specialty offerings. [09:26] At Disneyland the castle lights up and Disney California Adventures has decorations and the festival of holidays. They also have It's a Small World Holiday and Haunted Mansion Holiday. They change the lighting and decorations and even the scent. The mansion becomes The Nightmare Before Christmas themed mansion. [11:46] The Christmas parade is twice a day, and you don't need special tickets. [12:21] Special snacks change every year. [13:26] Disney cruises have something for everyone. Even though the trips are more expensive, a lot of things are included and you end up spending less while on board. [15:05] Disney cruises have high-level entertainment and first-run movies. [15:36] During the holidays, all the characters are dressed in Christmas attire. There's a tree lighting ceremony. The whole ship is decorated beautifully. There's a Santa Claus meet and greet and story time with Mrs. Claus and of course the gingerbread house. [17:55] A Disney cruise is definitely more expensive. A Disney cruise is a lot more relaxing than a Disneyland or Disney World experience. [19:54] The week of Christmas is the most crowded and expensive time to go. If you're planning a trip, go the first week of December. [21:21] The earlier you book the better. Book the day the cruise is released. Book Disney World a 180 days in advance and Disneyland is a little more flexible. [22:21] The further out you plan, the more relaxing it is and the easier it is to get those dinner reservations that you want. [23:10] There are special things you can do like dessert parties or firework reservations. [25:04] You can get a hold of Krystin at Krystin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com. Links and Resources: Fly with Chris and Di on Facebook Fly with Chris and Di on Twitter (https://twitter.com/flywithchrisdi) Fly with Chris and Di on Instagram Fly with Chris and Di on Pinterest Krystin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com (mailto:Krystin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com) Dreams Unlimited Travel (https://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/) A Unique Disney Trip (http://flywithchrisanddi.com/12) Wilderness Lodge Disney’s Grand Floridian Disney Springs (https://www.disneysprings.com/) Epcot For pictures, tips and more, be sure to check out our Fly with Chris and Di Facebook page and signup to download a copy of The Best City for You. Please take a moment and subscribe to our podcast and leave a review. Become a Fly Insider (http://flywithchrisanddi.com/flyinsider) and get the inside scoop, behind the scenes photos, and exclusive travel deals.

2. 

   22 Jun 2020

   Health and Wellness While Traveling

   We are joined by Jamie and Skylar from Explorcation on this episode of the podcast.  They have a fantastic blog and vlog on YouTube.  They share a ton of advice for staying healthy and well when you are traveling. Jamie and Skylar are a couple who loves to travel, explore new places, and try new experiences. Many of their travels include adventures like hiking to secluded beaches, jumping off of waterfalls, paddling to beautiful destinations, and learning to rock climb. They also travel to relax and include videos from cruising and spending time on beaches. They live in Florida and travel as often as they can while still working full time. In this episode, Jamie and Skylar share their top tips for staying healthy and well while traveling and many planning and preparation tips and resources.  Make sure to stay tuned until the very end to hear their favorite three places they have visited. Show Notes: [01:39] They both work full-time, but they love being active as much as possible. [01:52] They both grew up in the midwest and had limited opportunities to travel. They moved to Florida to travel more often and live a more active lifestyle. [02:31] Explorcation started four years ago when they went on a cruise to the Virgin Islands.  They came back from that trip with so much video footage and decided to start the YouTube channel as a way to document their travels for themselves. [03:53] They hope to inspire other people to visit new places, try new things, and live a healthier and more adventurous lifestyle. [05:01] Some days it is a struggle to balance it all, but it really helps to have a second person to get input and help with the process. [05:57] Learning to set time boundaries and sticking to them have really been key to working full-time and growing Explorcation. [07:35] Their relationship has grown from working on the blog and vlog together. [10:08] They were fortunate to have a big trip right before COVID hit.  They still have footage they are sharing and working on from that trip. [11:11] They were also lucky not to have any trips interrupted by COVID because they didn’t have any additional trips planned for that time. [13:19] They encourage their viewers to find healthy activities they enjoy, make them feel good, and add joy to their lives. [13:31] First you have to make the decision to keep healthy habits while you are traveling.  That is the first challenge. [14:43]  They found themselves not feeling well for several days after returning from trips after enjoying too many drinks, food, and sun. [16:29] They still enjoy these amenities, but only in moderation. [17:15] They realized that the best stress reliever for them was just to get out and do what they loved in nature and be adventurous. [17:37] Returning with more energy and less stress was definitely a big motivator for them. Jamie had a second motivator and that was her health. [19:01] For Jamie adopting a healthier lifestyle and being more active is what she needed to take back her life.  She started by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and taking vitamins. [20:11] The one thing that has contributed to their health and happiness has been finding the activities that they both enjoy. [21:35] When they moved to Florida they started to find active hobbies that they both enjoyed doing together like paddleboarding. [23:11] They both also enjoy rock climbing.  They got into rock climbing because they found a Groupon online. [25:15] They started rock climbing indoors and climbed for over a year before they thought about outdoor rock climbing.  Their first outdoor rock climbing trip was to Asheville, North Carolina. [27:09] Their rock climbing trips were only day trips.  Some destinations do offer multiple-day backpacking trips. [28:17] They have also developed a love for hiking.  They really appreciate the hills and mountains. [29:12] They love to hike to secluded beaches.  They find these beaches by doing research and watching other vlogs. [32:01] They usually take backpacks.  They have one backpack with essentials and a cooler backpack for cool drinks. [34:01]  It is important to do the research to find out what exactly can you do that is something that you are interested in. [36:30] On cruises you can use the excursions that the cruise ship provides or find your own. [37:03] You know that if you book your excursions through the cruise ship they are not going to leave you.  If you are doing excursions on your own research them ahead of time and make sure they are legit.  They suggest having a back-up plan just in case you are left behind. [38:14] When they are planning and preparing for trips they watch a ton of travel vlogs, check Trip Advisor, read blogs, travel magazines, and many online resources. [39:54] Their top tip staying healthy while traveling is to stay as active as possible.  They find activities that they both enjoy and plan their trips around those activities. [41:56] When you are traveling to a destination where you have the option to prepare your own food they highly recommend visiting the local market and local produce stands. [42:51] They recommend booking a hotel with a gym or a swimming pool to increase your options for physical activity.  You can book a cruise that has several activities aboard. [44:05] For travel or active days it is important to pack healthy snacks and stay hydrated. You can bring an empty water bottle through airport security and fill it up once you get to the terminal. [45:22] The last tip for when you actually reach your destination is to avoid foods that have a negative impact on your health.  If you put the effort in you can almost always find healthy produce.  If you have the opportunity to cook your own meals they highly recommend it.  Many cruise ships offer healthier options. [47:41] Skylar’s top 3 places he has visited are Costa Rica, St. Lucia, and Joshua Tree Park. [49:02] Jamie’s top 3 places she has visited are Costa Rica, St. Lucia, and Puerto Rico. Links and Resources: Fly with Chris and Di on Facebook Fly with Chris and Di on Twitter (https://twitter.com/flywithchrisdi) Fly with Chris and Di on Instagram Fly with Chris and Di on Pinterest Explorcation Blog (https://explor-cation.com/) Explorcation on YouTube Explorcation on Twitter (https://twitter.com/explor_cation) Explorcation on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/explor_cation/) For pictures, tips and more, be sure to check out our Fly with Chris and Di Facebook page and signup to download a copy of The Best City for You. Please take a moment and subscribe to our podcast and leave a review. Become a Fly Insider (http://flywithchrisanddi.com/flyinsider) and get the inside scoop, behind the scenes photos, and exclusive travel deals.

3. 

   15 Jun 2020

   Get to Know Chris

   It is finally time to get to know our other host better.  Today we are going to dig deeper and get to know more about Chris and his travel adventures. He waits until the very end of the episode to share his special story about his favorite childhood travel experience and adds some special guests in on the discussion. We also discuss Chris’s top 3 places to go, where he would like to go, and great family adventures. We talk about restaurants, excursions, and more. We hope you enjoy this little peek into Chris’s travel history and his most memorable traveling adventures. Show Notes: [03:02] Chris has a special story about his favorite childhood travel experience that he is going to share at the end of the episode. [04:23] Chris was first introduced to travel on road trips to Nashville.  He was typically the navigator. [05:09] Chris grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, which is 210 miles from Nashville. [06:18] Chris shares about being in a handbell choir at church as a child with his siblings and cousins. [08:45] New York City at that young age was very memorable. The handbell choir traveled to New York City to perform [10:08] Later in life Chris moved to New York and lived an hour and a half from New York City. [11:26] Chris shares his top three destinations that he has visited in his whole life. [12:19] He enjoyed learning about Roman history and Pompeii in Italy and visiting the colosseum. [14:55] Their advice is to not fill up on the first course because in Italy there are many courses. [15:02] Chris shares about their experience in Scotland including St. Andrews and the countryside. [17:11] His number three destination is Las Vegas because there is so much to do. [19:15] Go cars are a great excursion.  They are little cars that provide GPS that talks to you about different historical sites and where to go. [20:20] Chris’s favorite family trip is the RV trip, but the kids’ favorite trip is to Los Angeles. [20:59] His favorite destination with their extended family was the Dominican Republic.  They went with 20 people at two different times.  It was an all-inclusive resort and there was a lot to do. [23:26] The all-inclusive resorts are perfect with kids, especially older kids.  The kids were able to make their own choices and do fun things with safety. [25:01] Two places that Chris has not yet been to are Hawaii and Africa. [26:34] The third place that Chris still wants to go to is Dubai because it seems so luxurious. [28:49] Chris shares about their experience staying at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. [31:02] They were moved to a very luxurious room at the Cosmopolitan Hotel when the room they reserved wasn’t available. [33:14] They upgraded to first class on a trip and they brought them cocktails and warm nuts. [35:20] Chris’s favorite pancakes are Cracker Barrel's pancakes. [36:02] His favorite steak house is Ruth’s Chris.  They really enjoyed their visit to Ruth’s Chris in Keystone at the Crossing in Indianapolis. [37:03] If you ever fly through Minneapolis airport, in the main concourse check out pizza at Black Sheep. [38:29] Chris’s favorite excursion was their open-air helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon.  He would love to do it again on a nice day. [40:15] Chris’s earliest childhood experience was their family trip to Orlando.  He calls his Aunt Deborah, and two cousins to share what they remember about their trip. [42:35] Chris’s Aunt Deborah shares the facts of this favorite childhood experience to Orlando. [44:16] They had their trip outlined with AAA and they stayed in Kissimmee. [47:15]  Brian remembers them packing up in their yellow Cadillac (“The Canary”) and driving all night. [48:15] Brandy remembers leaving at night time with 3 adults and five children packed in one Cadillac.  They all kept asking, “Are we there yet?” [50:51] Everyone got along on the trip and didn’t fight, but there was one instance of a spilled Coke on the floor. [52:44] They used a paper map for directions, but they also had a CB radio. [53:27] Brian remembers their first stop being to a little waterpark on the side of the road. [55:42] They went to Disneyland and Wet and Wild. [57:11] The day after they arrived they went to Disney World.  They also went to Sea World. [58:39] They enjoyed going to the pool every day. [60:22] They remember staying at Disney all day and seeing fireworks and the parade at the end of the day. [61:12] Aunt Deborah’s favorite memory from the Orlando trip was all of them packing into the car. They brought lots of activities and snacks for the car ride. [63:48] This trip is so memorable for Brandy because it was their first time going to Disney and it was all of them went together. [64:48] This trip is so memorable for Brian because it was a long trip and they were in hot and sunny Florida. Links and Resources: Episode 40 - Africa (https://flywithchrisanddi.com/40) Episode 39 - Italy (https://flywithchrisanddi.com/39) Italy Quick Tips Episode 15 - Our Trip to London, Paris, and Scotland (https://flywithchrisanddi.com/15) Surly Beer (https://surlybrewing.com/beer/) Episode 7 - Vegas Off the Strip (https://flywithchrisanddi.com/7) Go Cars (https://www.gocartours.com/) Episode 9 - First Time RVers (https://flywithchrisanddi.com/9) Episode 19 - 4 Days in Los Angeles (https://flywithchrisanddi.com/19) Cracker Barrel (https://crackerbarrel.com/) Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse (https://www.ruthschris.com/) Black Sheep Pizza (https://blacksheeppizza.com/) Kissimmee, Florida (https://www.experiencekissimmee.com/) Walt Disney World (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/) For pictures, tips and more, be sure to check out our Fly with Chris and Di Facebook page and signup to download a copy of The Best City for You. Please take a moment and subscribe to our podcast and leave a review. Become a Fly Insider (http://flywithchrisanddi.com/flyinsider) and get the inside scoop, behind the scenes photos, and exclusive travel deals.

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Apple Podcasts (US)

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